McLeish: Jenas is a "man on a mission" for Villa

Alex McLeish insists Jermaine Jenas will be a "man on a mission" as he gets set to launch his career with Villa this afternoon against Norwich.

McLeish hopes Jenas will bring his "experience and quality" to the fold - and thinks the player himself will be eager to show what's he got to offer.

Jenas has suffered a series of injuries since arriving at Villa on loan from Tottenham and McLeish is now eager for the dynamic midfielder to impress in claret and blue.

He said: "Jermaine has trained well. He is an experienced player. I see him going up the pitch and getting us more goals and the difference you'll see with Jermaine is the quality he has got and the experience he has got.

"So he will be very welcome back in the fold because of those added elements.

"He knows the game, he is an England international and I am sure he will show Villa fans right away, as soon as he gets into action, just what he is capable of.

"He is lean, he has got tremendous lines about him and he has got an inherent fitness - it shouldn't be too long for him to catch up.

"He should be coming into his peak years now and I'm sure the motivation for him will be to show people what he is capable of and what they have missed.

"He has got great incentives there to play for the next five or six years and not let them go by in a flash and think where has my career gone?

"That's the same for all the players. I feel he will be a guy on a mission.

"We know the potential is there, we know the history of the guy and how well he can play."

The only question that remains is whether to start the midfield ace or have him in reserve from the bench.

He added: "He is the squad. He has trained well. Whether he goes straight into the team will be something we consider.

"He is an experienced player. If he plays I would expect that experience to shine through.

"He will obviously be a little bit short of match fitness but in the coming weeks we will work hard on that to get Jermaine to a level where he goes on a roll, steers clear of injury and gets himself to top match fitness."